Remember Me?
by yourINSPIRINGsoul31
Summary: Chihiro's not doing so well in her new life. Constant reminders of the Spirit World hold her back and shes beginning to doubt their existance. Will she forget all about her childhood adventure, or will someone help her rememeber?
1. Chapter 1

Okay, okay. So I shouldn't be writing another fic, but cut me some slack! I love writing fics; it's my calling! Okay, maybe not, but I love it, and ideas just keep coming so here's another story to float your boat until I finish one of my other ones or another one comes your way.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away. I don't own anything. I'm beginning to feel deprived…

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Chihiro clicked her pen as she stared blankly out the window of her classroom. A clean quiz sheet sat on her desk, unmarked by penned answers.

"Finish your sentence and pass your quiz forward." The teacher announced.

"Chihiro, Chihiro," Chihiro snapped out of her reverie by a tap on the back. "Pass your test forward."

"Oh, thanks." Chihiro handed her blank sheet to the person in front of her.

"That's it for today, class, you're dismissed." The students stood, shuffling their seats and gathering their books. Chihiro slowly put her books together and followed the crowd out the door.

"Chihiro," the teacher motioned Chihiro over. Chihiro walked over to the desk and stood before the teacher. She held Chihiro's blank test in front of her. Chihiro stared at her feet. The teacher sighed heavily.

"Chihiro, I know you can do better than this. You need to pay attention. Maybe you need to study more, have a tutor, something, but you need a C at least for me to pass you in this class. Do you understand?" Chihiro nodded. The teacher took a red marker and marked the test with a zero. "I need your parents to sign this so they know you're failing." Chihiro nodded again, took the test, bowed, and left.

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"Mom, dad, I'm home!" Chihiro yelled as she slung her backpack from her shoulder to the floor.

"Chihiro, we need to talk to you. We're in the living room." Chihiro's shoulders slumped as she shuffled into the room. Her mom and dad were on the couch looking very serious. Chihiro cringed. this couldn't be good.

"Chihiro, we just got a call form your teacher." Her mother stated. "She says you're failing almost all your classes." Her mother sighed. "Chihiro, we're all worried about you. You don't pay any attention to your studies, you barely ever talk to anyone, or us in fact. Chihiro, ever since we've moved you've been so distant. Is there something wrong?" Chihiro smiled weakly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm going upstairs, good night Mom, Dad." She said as she kissed both of them on the cheek.

"Goodnight" her parents said in unison. Chihiro walked up to her room and shut the door behind her. She changed into her pajamas and fell onto her bed and moaned. She rolled over and gazed at the ceiling.

"I'm Chihiro. The girl who's only friends and love might not exist." She cuddled her blankets. "If I could just see them one more time. Lin, Kamaji, No Face, Granny, heck, even Yubaba! But even more I miss Haku…" She closed her eyes. "Haku…" She repeated as she was whisked off into the land of dreams.

She felt herself falling, helplessly into darkness, till suddenly a hand clasped onto hers, then her other hand. Tears slipped from her eyes but flew upward instead of dropping down.

"I knew you were good…" She whispered in her sleep. Unknown to her, watchful eyes guarded her dreams…

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Oh, who could be watching? I'll give you three guesses but you're only gonna need one. Sorry that the chapter was so short. The next one will be longer, I promise::dodges flying vegetables: Till next time, REVIEW!


	2. Trying to Forget

Alrighty, next chapter! Woot! Okay, not much to say about this one except enjoy and review!

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Disclaimer: Still don't own Spirited Away. And so my dreams shatter like a glass window…

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RECAP:

"I knew you were good…" She whispered in her sleep. Unknown to her, watchful eyes guarded her dreams…

NOW:

A long silver dragon glinted in the moonlight outside Chihiro's window. With a low grunt, it whipped through the air, into the forest, and out of the human world.

Sunlight streamed through the window as Chihiro blinked her eyes open. She smiled as she recalled her dreams of that night. She loved sleeping, dreaming, it always brought her back to the Spirit World, to the place she felt she most belonged. She sighed as she pulled herself out of bed and got ready for school.

"Chihiro! Hurry up, you're going to be late!" Her mother yelled as Chihiro stumbled down the stairs.

"I know!" She replied. She grabbed her backpack and pulled it over her shoulder. "Seeya Mom!" She ran out the door and to the street corner where the bus waited. The doors opened and Chihiro was about to step in when she saw something from the corner of her eye.

"Is that… No, it can't be…" She whispered to herself.

"You coming?' The buss driver gruffly asked.

"Yeah, sorry." She found a seat in the back of the bus and thought to herself. She wasn't sure, but she could've sworn she'd seen… a soot ball…

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Chihiro passed the day daydreaming and paying absolutely no attention to her classes, as usual. Lunch came and Chihiro walked through the line to get her food. She held the red tray in her hands as she listened in on conversations around her as she waited. It was an old habit she had; she couldn't help it.

"You know that girl Chihiro?"

"Yeah, what about her?"

"I hear that she went insane after she moved here. She was raving on about dragons and spirits or something like that, so they had to give her counseling." The girls talking about her laughed.

"Someone hit their head a little so hard." One of them giggled, sending the rest of them into fits of laughter.

Chihiro felt like sitting down where she was and crying, but that wouldn't help her circumstances. She dropped her tray on top of a few others and sped off to the nurse's office. Unshed tears stung her eyes as she ran through the empty hallways.

"Good morning Chihiro, how are you?"

"Not so good," she said. "I have um… a really bad stomach ache." She wasn't lying entirely; she didn't feel good at all.

"Oh, okay sweetheart, do you feel well enough to stay at school?" Chihiro shook her head. "Alright then, can your mom or dad come and pick you up?" Chihiro nodded and called her mom and waited outside the office for her. She thought as she waited. People were so heartless. So she did need to have counseling, but that didn't mean they could make fun of her for it. How did they hear about it anyway?

"Honey?" Her mom's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Are you ready?" Chihiro nodded and they left towards home.

They pulled up into the driveway and Chihiro got out of the front seat.

"I've got to go back to work, so try to get some rest okay, Chihiro?" Her mother said to her.

"Alright, bye Mom." She waved as her mother drove out of sight. Right then, she was almost entirely sure she had seen a little frog in a kimono jumping out of sight through the trees. She blinked a few times and it was gone. She shrugged it off and went inside.

Turning the TV on, Chihiro grabbed a tub of ice cream and threw herself onto the couch. Tears began streaming down her face and she shoved ice cream into her mouth spoonful after spoonful. Finally, she fell asleep on the couch.

The telephone's loud ringing woke Chihiro from her nap. She got up and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey honey, feeling better?"

"A little."

"That's good. Well, I'm going to be staying at the office a little later than usual. You can make dinner by yourself right?"

"Yeah, I can make it."

"Alright, get better Chihiro. I love you."

"Love you too."

"Bye."

_Click_. Chihiro sighed and threw the empty ice cream container into the trash. She turned off the TV and walked up to her room. She pressed play on her radio as the music rang through her ears.

_Midnight workings, weather down the story line  
I try to find the truth between all the lies  
When bleeding is feeling and feeling ain't real  
Will I see you when I open my eyes?  
Will I see you when I open my eyes?  
_

Chihiro listened to the words. They rang so loud and true for her. She saw Haku in every dream she had and every thought. But when she opened her eyes, he was never there. As much as she wanted him to be with her, he never was. Tears began to slip down her face.

_When Breathing's a burden we all have to bear,  
And trust is one thing we're taught never to share,  
Somehow you just seem to shine,  
When loving means breaking and saying goodbye._

Why did she have to see the Spirit World? Why did she ever have to meet Haku, or fall in love with him? She remembered holding Haku's hand as he promised they'd see each other again. She remembered the last time her fingers brushed against his hand as she left back to her world. She never looked back, and she regretted it. She should've held on to him, and she wished she had looked back just one more time just to see his face.

_And I can't help but wonder what it is you do.  
You help heal the pain, and the thoughts of the truth.  
You're a question to the universe, a wonder to the world,  
And somehow, when I'm with you, I never get burned._

Everyone's faces flashed through Chihiro's head as she pulled the hair band out of her long brown hair. She wished they'd just leave her alone. Memories of them were killing her slowly. She sobbed harder as each memory went though her mind. They haunted her like an unfulfilled promise. If only they'd just leave her alone. But everytime she tried to forget, it felt even worse.

_Caught in a trap of what we're taught to believe.  
When night overcomes day, life's so hard to perceive.  
And the clock keeps on ticking through night-shattered skies,  
Where the stars are all broken, and so are all the ties.  
But the one thing remaining is you,  
When I'm broken and bleeding, you pull me right through.  
_

Out of rage and pain, she threw the hair band Granny had given her against the wall, her elbow knocking the radio off its stand. She stood there for a moment, face vacant of emotion. The music had stopped and she just stared at the glimmering hair band lying in the ground. Without it, she felt naked, incomplete. She dropped to her knees and wept. She just wanted it all to go away. But still, she couldn't live without it. It was a part of her; it was who she was. She crawled across the floor and held the hair band to her heart and cried till she fell victim to sleep.

Chihiro saw herself squatting by a wall of brilliantly colored flowers next to Haku. He held a piece of bread in his hands as Chihiro ate a piece of her own. She saw herself begin to cry and Haku comforted her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

Chihiro suddenly felt herself awaken. There she sat, bathed in cold sweat, kneeling by the wall clutching the hair band. She sniffed a few times and wiped away cold tears. She picked herself up and put her hair back into a ponytail. She opened her turned off the light as she walked out of her room. There was no light to lead her; she had to guess it was around midnight when she walked down the stairs, out the door, down the sidewalk… She didn't know why she was doing it, why her legs were leading her to the very spot she tried so very hard to forget. She stepped down the beaten, dirt, path. The trees passed by her as she swept by them. She went from walking, to jogging, to running through the forest. She tripped over tree roots, rocks, and other objects hidden by the night. But she picked herself up and continued to run. Thunder boomed in the distance, followed by a strike of lightning that rolled across the sky. Rain began to pour down on Chihiro and she couldn't tell if it was rain or tears running down her face. Finally, Chihiro stopped at the little statue in front of the gigantic building. It smiled at her mockingly, somehow making Chihiro feel that it knew why she had come. She walked past it, trying to ignore the smirk it had etched across its face. Her breathing was hard, having been running so long. She stared into the tunnel. To someone else it would have been frightening and menacing, but to Chihiro, it was warm and welcoming. Chihiro panted as she bent over and coughed. She stood up as much as she could and stumbled into the looming darkness.

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Yes, we will be seeing Haku in the next chapter or the one after that. Not sure which one though, I'm just making it up as I go along. :dodges flying vegetables:

See that little button on the bottom left of this page? Yeah, that one. Click it. See where it says review? Click that too. Woot! We're making progress! Review please!


	3. Home

Woot! Another chapter! I promise I will work on my other stories, but I'm getting somewhere with this one:: dances: Okay, I'll stop before your eyeballs burn right of your little skulls, and we don't want that do we? Cause then you can't read my story and review. We _definitely_ don't want that!

Thank you reviewers! Couldn't have done this without you!

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Disclaimer: Still don't own Spirited Away. Maybe if I tell Hayao Miyazaki that I'm his long lost daughter… INHERITANCE IS MINE:: runs away laughing like a maniac:

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RECAP:

Her breathing was hard, having been running so long. She stared into the tunnel. To someone else it would have been frightening and menacing, but to Chihiro, it was warm and welcoming. Chihiro panted as she bent over and coughed. She stood up as much as she could and stumbled into the looming darkness.

NOW:

Chihiro shuffled through the tunnels, tripping over loose rocks and rubble. She made her way mostly by memory, bumping into a few things: benches, the birdbath, and other objects wrapped in the secrecy of night. She could hear the low rumble of the train not too far away. She smiled under her tears, she was almost there; she had to be. Before long she could feel the tall grass brushing up against her legs. She inched though the dark meadow, shadows flying by her as the rain clouds began to dissipate. She could hear the sound of rushing water: the river. She couldn't hold up for much longer, her legs were bruised and cut, her body ached from running so far, a splitting headache blurred her thoughts, and she was burning up. She felt the cool water rise against her body as she dropped into the freezing water. Her body went limp as the waves pushed her back and forth. She couldn't tell how long she was in the water, but it didn't matter, the freezing water numbed her thoughts and the pain. Her body thudded onto stone steps and she hauled herself onto them. She tried standing up, but doubled over and regurgitated. She collapsed onto the steps, bruised, cut, sick, and sobbing. Chihiro heard a kind, but fearful voice in the darkness.

"Somebody help me, she's burning up! … Oh my God…" And Chihiro slipped into unconsciousness.

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Chihiro blinked her eyes open against the blinding sunlight. She could feel a wet cloth lay across her forehead and a soft pillow cushioning her aching head.

'I must be back home, it was just a dream…' She sighed. 'Just a dream.' She sat up from the sheets and shielded her eyes from the sunshine. Her eyes adjusted to the light and she gasped. She wasn't home.

She was lying in an enormous bed in the most beautifully elaborate room she'd ever seen. The chestnut colored walls were carved with intricate designs and the windows were framed in gold trimming with long, dark green, velvet curtains. The spotless wood floor shined, as did everything else in the room. The bed she was laying in was embroidered with the most breath-taking dragon designs she had ever seen.

Chihiro had been so busy surveying the room she hadn't heard the door creak open.

"'Morning Chihiro!" A familiar voice chimed. Chihiro gasped.

"Lin!" Chihiro exclaimed. Lin walked over to the side of the bed and smiled. "It's been a while, huh?" She winked. Chihiro smiled and choked back tears of joy as the two pulled each other into a warm embrace.

"Oh, I missed you so much! How have you been?" Chihiro asked swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I've been great, how about you? You've been gone so long!" Lin held Chihiro at arm's length to see a wave of grief envelope Chihiro's face. But it was swept away in a second when Chihiro smiled and laughed weakly.

"Uh, well, not so good, but it's fine." She smiled pathetically. Lin furrowed her brows concern but smiled back.

"Well, you'll have to tell me everything that's happened to you since you left!' She grinned. "But first I'll get you some food, you look starved!" As if on cue, Chihiro's stomach let out a low grumble and Chihiro laughed. "I'll be right back, alright?" Lin winked as she left the room.

Chihiro smiled as she lay her head back onto the pillow, holding back unshed tears of happiness. 'I'm back!' She thought, 'I'm back home…'

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Lin opened the door just a crack and peered inside.

"Chihiro, I got your food." She crept inside and leaned over the bed Chihiro was now sleeping soundly in. Lin smiled. 'She looks so peaceful…' she thought, 'I hope nothing can spoil her dreams, especially after what she's been through. She deserves an escape…' Lin sighed. She set her food on the nightstand beside the bed and walked through the door.

"Sweet dreams."

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I'm so, so, so sorry Haku's not in this chapter either! And it's really short! I absolutely SWEAR he'll be in the next chapter::is bombarded by 6 month old vegetables: Please review!


	4. Hello

WOOT! Another chapter! I'm doing pretty good on this one, huh? Yeah, I thought so. REVIEWWWWWWWWWW!

Thanks much for my reviewers!

**CxHforever:** Don't worry, he's in this chapter! Aren't you proud of me?

**Amaherst:** Ah, shucks! That's so flattering! Haku's in this one! Maintain your temper:cowers:

**Lady Liliana:** Yay for my loverly reviewer! Here is the update and... You must be psychic!

**Wind, Storm, And Rain:** For the first time? SA has to be one of Miyazaki's greatest creations! I'm glad you were able to witness his beautiful imagination at work! Thank you for reading my fic as well, I'm so honored!

Arigato!

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Disclaimer: Does it look like I own it! Yeah, I didn't think so. :pouts:

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RECAP:

Lin smiled. 'She looks so peaceful…' she thought, 'I hope nothing can spoil her dreams, especially after what she's been through. She deserves an escape…' Lin sighed. She set her food on the nightstand beside the bed and walked through the door.

"Sweet dreams."

NOW:

Haku walked into the bathhouse bustling with movement as usual, but something was different. The workers didn't seem any different, the guests didn't seem any different either. But there was this unseen flame, excitement, or something. Haku pondered what it could be as he trudged into the elevator. Each worker bowed and greeted him as they passed, with a bounce in their steps. He crossed his arms and leaned against the elevator's side as it sped towards the top floor.

It began to bother him since he couldn't think of something by the 7th floor (A/N: I actually don't know how many floors there are, but I'm going to pretend there are 10) and the journey from Zeniba's was long and tiring and all he felt like doing was lay down and rest. He didn't want to trouble himself trying to figure out the sudden change of tone in the bath house.

He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, things were much more complicated and serious since Chihiro had left and he had taken over the bath house... Gah! There he want thinking about her again. Try as he might to avoid it, every train of thought led to her. He had tried to imagine what she looked like now. Every time he visited her, it was but a shadow in the dark. Only at night would he dare to enter the human world, so only at night could he attempt to send her memories of them, hoping she hadn't already forgotten and him and everyone at the bathhouse.

Haku ran his hand through his hair, now unevenly cut and tied back in a small ponytail. No more thinking tonight, he'd been doing too much of it recently, he needed a night to relax and lay back. Just relax and... think of her.

The elevator doors opened and there Lin stood, humming and smiling to herself.

"Oh, hey, Haku! Glad you're back!" She grinned.

"Hey, Lin." He replied tiredly. He was going to ask her what she was doing up there, but he decided he didn't want to ask. He began walking passed her to his room when Lin began walking beside him.

"So, where'd you go this time?" She asked.

"To Zeniba's," He replied. Everyone was acting so strangely, he thought.

"Oh, right, what for?"

"Just for dinner, and to talk."

"Sounds fun."

"Er... Yeah." They were at his bedroom door and Lin smiled at him. "I'm er... Going to bed now..."

"Oh, right, okay!" She started walking away very slowly, glancing over her shoulder. Haku rolled her eyes at her odd behavior and opened the door into his room.

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Lin glanced over her shoulder, taking baby steps as she faked walking away from Haku. She knew that he suspected something was up because she was acting so strangely, but Lin really wanted to see Haku's reaction when he saw Chihiro. Lin really didn't know he was coming so soon, but Chihiro would really like it if she got to see him right away. As soon as she saw Haku's face disappear behind the door, she sprinted back and peeked inside.

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'Oh God...' Chihiro thought. There she stood, disheveled and wrapped in numerous bandages, in front of the very boy, or man, her heart had been longing, bleeding, and desiring to see for years. He was tall and well-built, but not super muscular. His hair wasn't in the bowl cut she remembered, but his bangs hovered around his eyes unevenly and the rest was tied back. Chihiro blushed with thoughts she knew she shouldn't be thinking. She looked to her feet and mentally shook herself.

"Um... Hi." She murmured. Sheepishly brushing a stray piece of hair away from her face.

Haku had been surveying her as well. Her brown hair was pulled back messily, the extra pieces of hair framing her face. Haku tried busying himself with the curves of her face instead of the curves of her now developed body, but impressively failed.

"Hello, Chihiro." He choked.

They stood, staring at each other, both their hearts in their stomachs. And suddenly, Chihiro fainted.

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Heh heh, she fainted:laughs sinisterly: Well, there's Haku for ya! His name was even the first word of the chapter! Heck yes! I'm on a roll with this one so I'm just gonna keep writing and writing until I reach a writer's block! Which I really don't want that to happen cause I'm having fun with this one...

REVIEW!


	5. That Warm Feeling

Chapter five, chapter five, ready or not, it's arrived!

YAY for sappy rhyming! WOO:dances: Well, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Thank you for my wondermous reviewers!

**Trallgorda:** Here's your update! Hope you like!

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Disclaimer: I own nothing but my Spirited Away VHS... Why couldn't I have gotten a DVD at the least:sigh: Poor me.

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RECAP:

"Hello, Chihiro." He choked.

They stood, staring at each other, both their hearts in their stomachs. And suddenly, Chihiro fainted.

NOW:

Haku's reflexes immediately went to action and he caught her right before she hit the ground. His cheeks burned as he held her in his arms.

"Chihiro?" He whispered hoarsely. He shook her lightly, trying to wake her, but she didn't show any sign of awakening. After trying and failing again to wake her, he picked her up bridal style and laid her in the bed. He softened the pillow behind her head and gingerly laid the blankets over her sleeping form. He stood and stared at her with a kind expression.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back for you, Chihiro. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner." He leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for coming back to me." Chihiro smiled in her sleep and mumbled something Haku couldn't make out. He smiled at her and left the room to the guest room. After such a day, he needed rest. It took a while for him to get to sleep though. How could he though? The love of his life had abruptly entered his life and rekindled a sudden flame he thought had long ago been put out. But sleep eventually crept into this thoughts and he fell into the land of dreams, imagining someone in a room only 10 feet away from him. And only last thought slipped into his mind as the darkness of sleep took him:

'Is she dreaming of me too?'

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Chihiro lay in sleep, but she was surprised. When sleep took hold of her, the Spirit World always came rushing to her mind. But not this time. Instead, she was surrounded by a soft light, a warm feeling. She felt herself in someone's arms, but she dare not look up, for fear of disturbing the peaceful moment. She felt her body go limp and the light blinded her eyes. The arms that had been rested around her picked her up and laid her down on a cushioned surface. For a moment, the strong arms left her, and she felt empty. The emptiness was made up though, she felt a pair of lips pressed gently on her forehead. She smiled, and for once in a terribly long time, she felt ... happy.

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I'm sooooooo sorry for the shortness of this chapter. T.T I reached a writer's block in the middle of this and decided I'd just start a new chapter. SO yeah. I'm sooorrryyyy :cries in corner:


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